Black Men Teach

OUR MISSION is to recruit, prepare, place and retain Black male teachers in elementary schools.

OUR VISION is that all students have the opportunity to attend schools staffed with racially and culturally diverse teachers and leaders, reflecting the students’ race, ethnicity and cultures, thereby creating an environment that affirms students for who they are.

Black Men Teach creates the environment and conditions where Black male teachers can thrive, because our children’s schooling experience will never be complete without them.

The need is tremendous. In 2019, Minnesota ranked 50th in racial disparities in high school graduation rates. Minnesota routinely boasts one of the largest education achievement gaps in the country as well. A huge factor in this is the “teaching gap” that starts in early grade levels.  The stark reality is that in Minnesota there is a near absence of Black men in elementary classrooms. We estimate that less than 0.5% of all the teachers in the state of Minnesota are Black men. However, when Black men are present in the classroom, the data on their long-term impact on students is compelling: 

• Black boys in elementary school who have just one Black teacher are 29% less likely to drop out of school.  
• Those who have two Black teachers by fifth grade are 32% more likely to enroll in post-secondary education.

Black Men Teach was formed to reduce this “teaching gap” to improve outcomes for our students. So far, Black Men Teach has placed six Black male educators in our partner schools.  We have 30 men in the teacher training pipeline and have a high school recruiting program at Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis that includes 28 young Black men. 

Your generosity will help us continue this progress as we create a new paradigm in teacher development:

• A focus on specific demographic communities,
• One-on-one candidate support,
• A coalition of K-5 schools working together, and
• Teacher training programs and community-based organization partnerships

With your support we can work together to ensure that every student in every school will see themselves reflected in their teachers.

For more information, see our website or Facebook page 

Promoting Teacher Retention and Equity in Home Ownership: Black Men Teach, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Launches New Program for Classroom Fellows to Purchase their First Home